High School Basketball: Xenia standout commits to No. 5 Xavier

Xenia sophomore guard Samari Curtis dribbles with pressure from Fairborn’s Kermit Redmon during a Division I sectional semifinal last season at Centerville. Contributed Photo by Bryant Billing

Xenia standout Samari Curtis will play his college basketball close to home.

Curtis, a 6-foot-4 junior guard, on Monday gave a verbal commitment to Xavier University. He announced his decision on Twitter. The Musketeers ranked No. 5 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll released Monday.

Curtis leads the Greater Western Ohio Conference in scoring at 30.4 points per game. He averages 5.2 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game. Curtis scored 50 points in a 90-80 loss to Tippecanoe on Jan. 5. He’s scored 30 points or more in 10 of 17 games played this season.

Curtis told 247Sports that he also considered Cincinnati, Penn State, Toledo and Akron. He ranks No. 6 in Ohio in the 247Sports composite rankings for the Class of 2019.

Xenia junior Samari Curtis talks about how it felt to score 50 points for the Buccaneers in a loss at Tippecanoe on Jan. 5.